Planned Parenthood to expand telemedicine app to all 50 states

Planned Parenthood announced Sept. 4 that its mobile application Planned Parenthood Direct, which offers birth control and urinary tract infection treatment, will be offered in all 50 states by 2020.

Planned Parenthood Direct is currently available in 27 states and Washington D.C. The app allows users to request delivery of birth control pills, get a prescription for UTI treatment, access resources about different types of birth control and make an appointment at a Planned Parenthood health center.

By expanding to all 50 states, Planned Parenthood aims to increase people's access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. The organization provides services including access to birth control, STI testing and cancer screenings.

"Planned Parenthood health centers see patients who struggle to overcome barriers to get healthcare, whether that's lack of time, the distance they have to travel, difficulty finding child care or trouble getting an appointment with a provider," said Kelly Gordon, an advanced practice clinician at Planned Parenthood, according to the news release. "Through the Planned Parenthood Direct app, we can often bypass those barriers and provide the same high-quality care that they would receive at a health center visit."